Night Owl Cafe Tribute Page

11/06/2023

Linda J Gaeta asked to share the following Night Owl Cafe story and photo with you:

"1965... Had a scholarship to NYU but learned all that crap in high school. So this is how I spent my evenings, outside the Night Owl Cafe. I'm the one with the drenched hair and coat, back to the camera, watching the Bloos Magoos through the big window, or maybe the Spoonful, or the Magicians!"
(Photo by Malcolm Collins, Datebook Magazine)

03/06/2023

It's always wonderful to hear these stories about Alan Gordon from Christian Gordon.

Alan's take on The Village scene in the '60's - "It was fantastic. The Magicians played at The Night Owl. Before that I was in Tex and The Chex, we played at The Cinderella club and Trude Heller's 8th Wonder (complete with go-go girls in cages). We hung out with The Strangers, Blues Magoos (I wrote with Ritchie Adams "Gotta Get Away" on their single). David Blue brought Dylan in to see us perform one of David's songs we did, "I'd Like To Know". They both left after that song!!! We hung out at Googies, the Kettle of Fish and, oh yes, Jimi Hendrix played around the corner at the Cafe Wha. You get the idea, it was HEAVEN. Best, Alan"

More on The Magicians can be found in this incredibly well-researched story (link below) written by Walter Roland Moore. Filled with many details and interesting stories about the group, it’s a real treat.

https://webstore.ugly-things.com/ugly-things-61-p494.php?fbclid=IwAR3ZmAhxJOpTxXe8tw_2naH_pHD0OMuVPPjkRwv7A3D5j55Pvp4KTrvuOMg&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

20/05/2023

Happy birthday, Peter! And thank you, Christian Gordon for the lovely post.

Happy Birthday to Peter Gallway! Peter’s group, The Strangers, played at The Night Owl Cafe at the same time as The Magicians in ‘65-‘66 so he and Alan went a long way back. Later on, they got together to write several songs and enjoyed good memories alongside mutual pal, Jake Jacobs. We wish Peter the very best.

19/03/2022

Good morning, friends. So an interesting thing happened yesterday. Having shared about John Sebastian's birthday, I opened my Twitter app, and came across this tweet from author Stephen King. If you don't know, he's a huge rock fan and even plays in a band with a few other writers. And they're good! I had to share this with you, and I'm trying to figure out a way to get it to Sébastian. I think he'd be tickled.

18/03/2022

Thanks to The Lovin' Spoonful for this reminder. John was so very kind to Joe Marra and the Night Owl family over the past few years. Wishing a happy belated birthday to this kind, talented man.

Happy Birthday to our dear friend John Sebastian! Amazing songwriter, signer, harmonicist, guitarist, and more. Best known as founder of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act, The Lovin' Spoonful, penning a bowlful of hits from "Daydream," "Summer In The City" to the theme to Welcome Back Kotter! He still puts on a helluva show and we're honored to have so many classic Spoonful albums in our catalog!

08/03/2022

Good morning, fellow Night Owls! Many of you may not have seen these photos that I shared quite a few years ago, when I first created this page. They are of The Jagged Edge, one of the bands that played regularly at the Night Owl. I shot the photos as a teenager, and a regular myself at the Cafe.

This past week Shel Stewart, a former member of the band, found us and wanted to let everyone know that he's on FB and interested in hearing about your recollections and sharing some of his own stories. He'd love to connect with old friends, too. Please say hi to Shel, and share any memories and stories here. Were you at the Cafe when the The Jagged Edge was playing? They were a really good band!

30/01/2022

We lost a wonderful friend on this day last year. A very sad day for all of us who knew and loved Joe Marra.

For the few that don't know, Joe was tha former owner of the Night Owl Cafe. Nine years ago I created this FB page dedicated to the Night Owl because I couldn't find much about it online. Somehow, former musicians, staff and fans found their way to it. It's how I found Joe again after all those years. I'm going to really miss him.

Joe was active and happy until the end. Below is my favorite picture of him which I took at his favorite place in the city, the Caffe Reggio. He was there every week without fail. And after indoor dining closed, he was there, at the outdoor tables, even in the cold of winter.

RIP Joe, we miss you.

05/12/2021

It's been a long time since I shared this link to the Night Owl Cafe page. Thanks again to Christian Gordon, and Also Gordon Songs, for sharing it. I suspect a lot of our newer friends haven't seen it.

Part 3 of 3 of the 26-minute WCBS "Eye on New York" episode "Four To Go" featuring The Magicians, originally broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 13, 1966. Part 3 cuts...

04/12/2021

I've been MIA and I promise to be back soon. Meanwhile, I can't pass up the opportunity to share this wonderful birthday greeting posted on Alan Gordon Songs. Wishing Jake Jacobs, formerly of the Magicians, a very happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Jake Jacobs (an Alan Gordon friend for life!).

08/07/2021

I decided to do a little research into Folklore Center and Izzy Young and came across this very interesting article about the early 60s Village music scene and Izzy's place in it. The article appeared in AM New York following Izzy's death in 2019. It contains lots of great pictures too.

BY GABE HERMAN | Izzy Young, who was at the center of the Village folk scene, running one of its key hubs, the Folklore Center, died on Feb. 4 at age 90 in